Catching Up

Last week was wonderful. Tonight Greg will post some pictures of the unbelievably beautiful Oregon Coast. The weather was spectacular and we stayed in a house that was right on the beach. We saw whales, sea lions, seals, and pelicans. One afternoon a doe went walking right behind our deck. It was so great to spend time with Rob and Carolyn and Mom and Dad. We got to see lots of other family members at Mom and Dad's house. A highlight of that time together was when everyone was gathered on Mom and Dad's deck and we all watched the space station fly by. We had a good time. It reminded me of when I was a kid and we'd all watch for shooting stars.

Last week was truly a vacation from cancer. No appointments, breathing was pretty good, and I felt pretty good almost the whole time. Now it's back to reality.

I had an appointment with Dr. Tezcan this morning and he explained that my thyroid now has the same cancer as my lung and liver. The plan is to attack it with radiation starting this week. I'm scheduled for another CAT scan on Thursday to see if the other cancer is growing. If it is growing, we know the chemo is no longer working and Dr. T. said he'll come up with another plan. It's hard not to feel discouraged. I'm so thankful for your prayers of encouragement and I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow.

One very cool thing is that after the doctor left the room, the nurse heard Greg say "Well we need to pray that the cancer is located just in the thyroid so they can zap it with radiation." She asked if we really prayed and we said yes and she asked if we prayed to Jesus and we said yes and she said "Well let's pray right now." And she drew us in and prayed for us. It was so amazing. She told us she loved that she sometimes got to pray with her patients.

Thank you for your love and prayers. Love, Julie